Bass of the Week: Kudela Custom Bass

Sometimes a one-man-shop is all that’s required to build a fantastic bass guitar. This week’s feature bass is from a small town in Georgia, and Ivory tells his story:

I have been a customer of Best Bass Gear for years. I am from a small town in South GA. Well, on a trip to Atlanta I visited the Atlanta Bass gallery and fell in love with a bass. I asked Jim the owner who was the builder and where was he located. Believe it or not the builder Steve Kudela was a one man shop building basses about 45 minutes from my home in an even smaller Georgia town. I found him in the phone book once I got home and gave him a call. He invited me over to his shop and this is where I fell in love with my single cut 6 string. He is definitely a well kept secret as I have owned everything from Roscoes, Ken Smiths and Sadowskys but this bass was special. I describe the tone as similar to a US MTD but slightly more organic/ woodsy. I have done sessions with it and the technician instructed me to bring this bass every time. I truly believe Steve’s attention to detail and craftsmanship place his basses in the same range with many other high end builders. I guess since he is a one man shop in a small town, its only a matter of time before his basses are known worldwide. Here are some of the specs.

Burl maple top
Swamp ash body
Walnut neck
Macasser ebony fretboard
Bartolini pickups and electronics.
19mm string spacing

Here’s some more photos of this great instrument:

A very well-done build! Thanks for sending us your photos and story, Ivory!

Would you like to have your bass or gear featured for Bass of the Week?

Send your photos and story of your bass to feature-me@bestbassgear.com.